I was 12 when I heard it the first time and I remember when I read the lyrics with it, it was like a revelation to me.You got to imagine, my Da had huge speakers he had built himself and I used to sit between two with my arms on the wood (I love to feel what I hear) and that’s how I listened to my first ever Undertones record – The Sin of Pride.

It felt like diving into the music with my whole self and especially Untouchable captured me, it had hit my nerve with its kinda dramaturgy of progression and the way the drums and bass melt into eachother while the contrary guitar-chords before the chorus gave sound to my own ambivalence. It’s an abundant song, short, fast, harmonic, yet very torn, beginning lightly and ending with an impact. I felt like it expresses all I feel and yeah…it did. Untouchable is kinda entry in my inner diary – just written by someone else.Surely what a song expresses is always interpretation, but I had adopted it to express a part of me.

Funny thing about it…I listen to it since 27 years and my feelings with it haven’t changed. Well, I did and my personal situation today of course and luckily is a completely different one, yet my inner pictures when listening stayed the same. One of the best Undertones songs ever, if you ask me.And frighell…I wished, my Da still had those speakers…

Last edited by Alcina on Fri Jan 20, 2012 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

First of all…how can such young lads write such a tune.That’s what I ask myself generally listening to the early stuff.And to me this is about the most „adult“ song on the record.I have not a clue of writing songs, a tracheotomy, no problem, but songwriting…so I have no idea why it is so and how they did it but this is an extremely harmonic tune.I am so hooked by the hookline, so to say. Especially the last 45 seconds engulf me into a hypnotic pleasure when listened to really loud.And dang! – that’s what great music should do…

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

This was love at first hear.A timeless song, like many ‘toneish songs are.I took the ’82 recording to my heart – yeah, it’s nice.A wee bit of space-oddity, methinks.(Call me unreceptive).Very surely the ’81 single-version is woven with my auditory canal.And I love this song to bits.Would be amongst the five tonetunes I’d take with me if I had to choose.It triggers my inner eye and tempts me to make wee movies to it.It’s a soundtrack-song.It sounds subtle, vast and somewhat cryptic-echoey, promising something that isn’t told yet.Do I have to mention, that the guitar-bit is the cherry on the cream ?(Now I know, what I missed in the sop-session one!!)And well aye, to me it is quite a sensual, erotic song (...NO! Feargal has nothing to do with that, for sure. It’s the sound, not the singing or the lyrics).So if I one day’ll make a movie this song is in and the Oscar goes to 2 O’Neills and a Bradley.

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

This song belongs to my sweetest memories and it is indeed the sweetest Undertones-song on my list. Whenever I hear it my head-cinema starts the movie about my first love and the coolest boy in town recording cassettes for me and writing hidden confessions on the sleeve. This song and others like "I know a girl" etc was amongst them - cos he knew they are one of the keys to my heart.Yet it ended, like it probably has to when you're 14 and an innocent lamb, in drama and tears.I don't know why I so rarely hear/see this song performed, actually never did...it may be done simple, but it's a cracker of a tune how the guitars and bass sound together.Thank you for this one, Billy. And thank you for "Billy's Third" aswell - that would be #5 on my list.

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

Now this is most beautiful noise, guitars how guitars should sound in my ears and heavenly dirty (in the best sense) Rock'n'Roll as a friend of mine called it recently (and he's damn right).I can't wait to hearsee this live and in colour and those real fat, welcoming guitar-tones to let loose fireworks of synapse-pogo up and down my spine.The whole song sounds lush somehow, the drums do aswell, I really love that.It must be a pleasure to play this, there are quite a few songs that make me kick myself for not being able to play guitar and this is amongst it.So this is another undertony Gassenhauer I'll proudly bequest to my great-great-grandchildren.

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

Another melodicolourful song I love to bits since the first hear.My parents didn't.OK, I was a bit very extremely listening-excessive at times.But I tell you, with songs it's like with people.Some you really like, yet to some others you have a special tie.That's why Family Entertainment is one of my personal masterpieces.Perfect in my ears how the different chords and harmonies grip into eachother, tingle up and down the hearing ability and melt into one very well done and catchy song with pertly lyrics.The guitar fingy (whatever it's called) at 1.30 minutes is friggin brilliant!! I would've liked the drums to be drummier, or stronger or raw, yet that would've been the job of the guy who did the recording, I reckon.

To gain what is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

This song and others like "I know a girl" etc was amongst them - cos he knew they are one of the keys to my heart.Yet it ended, like it probably has to when you're 14 and an innocent lamb, in drama and tears.I don't know why I so rarely hear/see this song performed, actually never did...it may be done simple, but it's a cracker of a tune how the guitars and bass sound together.